MANILA, Philippines — The Marcos administration has yet to discuss the banning of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country, according to National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan on Tuesday.
“We haven’t really talked about it at the level of economic managers, I’m not aware if there are other meetings but I keep my view that our attention, our focus should be generating high-quality jobs,” Balisacan said during a Palace briefing.
He stood firm on banning POGOs and stressed that the government should focus on creating better jobs for people.
“I think that there are a lot of opportunities for the country, for the economy, for our workers, we can focus on those,” he said.
In September last year, NEDA backed recommendations to ban POGOs in the country.
While the economic bureau warned that banning POGOs would lead to a significant loss of investments in the Philippines, NEDA argued that focusing on legitimate investments would boost the production of goods and services in the country.
When asked about the accuracy of the projected P20 billion revenue loss that the Philippines may face if POGOs are banned, the economic official indicated that exact figures were still forthcoming but suggested the revenue loss could be substantial.
Earlier, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto expressed his intent to advise the President to suspend the operations of POGOs, citing the recent issues surrounding the industry.
Government officials have already launched a probe into illegal POGO hubs in the country including the operation which led to the apprehension of Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo.
The case of Guo likewise exposed a layer of illegalities surrounding her identity and the extent of Chinese infiltration in the country posing threats to national security.
Recently, authorities found an underground tunnel and secret rooms at an exclusive resort in Porac, Pampanga. The Pampanga police raided the resort on Saturday morning to locate the leaders of the illegal POGO hub, Lucky South 99.
It is believed that the incorporators and Chinese executives of Lucky South 99, implicated in various illegal activities including scams and human trafficking, may be staying at the resort.
